Question

read the excerpt from chapter 7 of night. one day when we had come to a stop, a worker took a piece of bread out of his bag and threw it into a wagon. there was a stampede. dozens of starving men fought desperately over a few crumbs. the worker watched the spectacle with great interest. years later, i witnessed a similar spectacle in aden. our ship’s passengers amused themselves by throwing coins to the “natives,” who dove to retrieve them. an elegant parisian lady took great pleasure in this game. when i noticed two children desperately fighting in the water, one trying to strangle the other, i implored the lady: “please, don’t throw any more coins!” “why not?” said she. “i like to give charity . . .” based on the details in this excerpt, what is the author’s primary purpose? ∘ to show how people everywhere need help ∘ to show how his opinion of humankind has changed ∘ to show that cruel behavior is not limited to only one situation ∘ to show that people may do things without thinking of the consequences

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option A: The excerpt focuses on cruel or thoughtless behavior in specific situations (concentration camp, Aden), not a general "people everywhere need help" theme. Eliminate A.
2. Analyze Option B: The author shows two instances (camp, Aden) where people act cruelly (worker's amusement, lady's pleasure in others' struggles) to highlight a changed view of humankind (from witnessing such behavior). This fits as the primary purpose.
3. Analyze Option C: The excerpt shows similar cruel behavior in different situations, but the focus is on the author's changed perception, not just showing cruelty is widespread. Eliminate C.
4. Analyze Option D: The lady thinks she's giving charity, but the author's focus is on the cruelty and his changed view, not just people not thinking of consequences. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. to show how his opinion of humankind has changed